Method and apparatus for audio output, and electronic device

ABSTRACT

Method and apparatus for audio output, and electronic device. The method applies to the electronic device including first and second speakers at left and right sides of the device placed in a horizontal state, respectively, and third and fourth speakers at left and right sides of the device placed in a vertical state, respectively, the method including: detecting placement state of the device when it is under a speaker output mode; and switching, according to the placement state of the device, a stereo output and/or a bass output of audio data to be outputted to a speaker or speakers corresponding to the placement state, and outputting the audio data in the form of stereo output and/or bass output through the speaker or speakers corresponding to the placement state. Stereo output effect can be obtained when the device is in speaker output mode, regardless of whether placed horizontally or vertically.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION AND PRIORITY CLAIM

This application claims priority from Chinese patent application No.201310544731.8, filed Nov. 6, 2013, the entire disclosure of whichhereby is incorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to electronic devices, and particularly,to a method and an apparatus for audio output, and an electronic device.

BACKGROUND

With the rapid developments of the electronic technology and thecommunication technology, some electronic devices, such as mobilephones, have become indispensable parts of people's daily lives. Theyintegrate many functions, and bring great conveniences to people's livesand works.

One of the functions is to play audio data such as music or speechesthrough a stereo, which uses two or more independent sound effectchannels and appears on a pair of speakers (e.g., horns) arrangedsymmetrically. The sound generated in such a method is kept natural andmelodious in various directions.

SUMMARY

In some practical applications, a mobile phone having a stereo functiononly obtains the stereo output effect at a specific position (e.g., thehorizontal position), and once the mobile phone is deviated from thespecific position such as being rotated to another position (e.g., thevertical position), the output of the speakers is no longer stereophonicsince the position of the speakers is changed.

To be noted, the above introduction to the technical background is justmade for the convenience of clearly and completely describing thetechnical solutions of the present invention, and to facilitate theunderstanding of a person skilled in the art. It shall not be deemedthat the above technical solutions are known to a person skilled in theart just because they have been illustrated in the Background section ofthe present invention.

The embodiments of the present invention provide a method and anapparatus for audio output, and an electronic device, so that the stereooutput effect can be obtained when the electronic device is under aspeaker output mode, regardless of whether the electronic device isplaced in a horizontal position or a vertical position.

According to an aspect of the embodiments of the present invention, amethod for audio output is provided, which is applicable to anelectronic device, wherein the electronic device includes a firstspeaker, a second speaker, a third speaker and a fourth speaker, thefirst speaker and the second speaker disposed at the left and rightsides of the electronic device placed in a horizontal state,respectively, and the third speaker and the fourth speaker disposed atthe left and right sides of the electronic device placed in a verticalstate, respectively, the method including:

detecting a placement state of the electronic device when the electronicdevice is under a speaker output mode; and

switching, according to the placement state of the electronic device, astereo output and/or a bass output of audio data to be outputted to aspeaker (or speakers) corresponding to the placement state of theelectronic device, and outputting the audio data in the form of stereooutput and/or bass output through the speaker(s) corresponding to theplacement state of the electronic device.

According to another aspect of the embodiments of the present invention,

when the electronic device is placed in the horizontal state, a firststereo output of the audio data is switched to the first speaker, and asecond stereo output of the audio data is switched to the secondspeaker, so as to output the audio data in the form of stereo outputthrough the first speaker and the second speaker.

According to another aspect of the embodiments of the present invention,when the electronic device is placed in the horizontal state, a bassoutput of the audio data is switched to the third speaker and/or thefourth speaker, so as to output the audio data in the form of bassoutput through the third speaker and/or the fourth speaker.

According to another aspect of the embodiments of the present invention,

when the electronic device is placed in the vertical state, a firststereo output of the audio data is switched to the third speaker, and asecond stereo output of the audio data is switched to the fourthspeaker, so as to output the audio data in the form of stereo outputthrough the third speaker and the fourth speaker.

According to another aspect of the embodiments of the present invention,

when the electronic device is placed in the vertical state, a bassoutput of the audio data is switched to the first speaker and/or thesecond speaker, so as to output the audio data in the form of bassoutput through the first speaker and/or the second speaker.

According to another aspect of the embodiments of the present invention,the method further includes:

adjusting audio parameters according to the placement state of theelectronic device; and

determining the stereo output and/or the bass output of the audio dataaccording to the adjusted audio parameters.

According to another aspect of the embodiments of the present invention,the method further includes:

switching a handset output of acquired audio data to the first speaker,the second speaker, the third speaker or the fourth speaker when theelectronic device is under a handset output mode, and outputting theacquired audio data through the first speaker, the second speaker, thethird speaker or the fourth speaker.

According to another aspect of the embodiments of the present invention,the method further includes:

detecting distances from the first speaker, the second speaker, thethird speaker and the fourth speaker to an ear respectively when theelectronic device is under a handset output mode, and determining aspeaker closest to the ear; and

switching a handset output of acquired audio data to the speaker closestto the ear, and outputting the acquired audio data through the speakerclosest to the ear.

According to another aspect of the embodiments of the present invention,an apparatus for audio output is provided, which is included in anelectronic device, wherein the electronic device further includes afirst speaker, a second speaker, a third speaker and a fourth speaker,the first speaker and the second speaker disposed at the left and rightsides of the electronic device placed in a horizontal state,respectively, and the third speaker and the fourth speaker disposed atthe left and right sides of the electronic device placed in a verticalstate, respectively, the apparatus including:

a detection unit configured to detect a placement state of theelectronic device when the electronic device is under a speaker outputmode;

a switching unit configured to switch a stereo output and/or a bassoutput of audio data to be outputted to a speaker (or speakers)corresponding to the placement state of the electronic device, accordingto the placement state of the electronic device detected by thedetection unit; and

an output unit configured to output the audio data in the form of stereooutput and/or bass output through the speaker(s) corresponding to theplacement state of the electronic device.

According to another aspect of the embodiments of the present invention,

when the electronic device is placed in the horizontal state, theswitching unit switches a first stereo output of the audio data to thefirst speaker, and switches a second stereo output of the audio data tothe second speaker;

the output unit outputs the audio data in the form of stereo outputthrough the first speaker and the second speaker.

According to another aspect of the embodiments of the present invention,

when the electronic device is placed in the horizontal state, theswitching unit switches a bass output of the audio data to the thirdspeaker and/or the fourth speaker;

the output unit outputs the audio data in the form of bass outputthrough the third speaker and/or the fourth speaker.

According to another aspect of the embodiments of the present invention,

when the electronic device is placed in the vertical state, theswitching unit switches a first stereo output of the audio data to thethird speaker, and switches a second stereo output of the audio data tothe fourth speaker;

the output unit outputs the audio data in the form of stereo outputthrough the third speaker and the fourth speaker.

According to another aspect of the embodiments of the present invention,

when the electronic device is placed in the vertical state, theswitching unit switches a bass output of the audio data to the firstspeaker and/or the second speaker;

the output unit outputs the audio data in the form of bass outputthrough the first speaker and/or the second speaker.

According to another aspect of the embodiments of the present invention,the apparatus further includes:

a control unit configured to adjust audio parameters according to theplacement state of the electronic device detected by the detection unit,and determine the stereo output and/or the bass output of the audio dataaccording to the adjusted audio parameters.

According to another aspect of the embodiments of the present invention,

when the electronic device is under a handset output mode, the switchingunit switches a handset output of acquired audio data to the firstspeaker, the second speaker, the third speaker or the fourth speaker;

the output unit outputs the acquired audio data through the firstspeaker, the second speaker, the third speaker or the fourth speaker.

According to another aspect of the embodiments of the present invention,

when the electronic device is under a handset output mode, the detectionunit detects distances from the first speaker, the second speaker, thethird speaker and the fourth speaker to an ear respectively, anddetermine a speaker closest to the ear;

the switching unit switches a handset output of acquired audio data tothe speaker closest to the ear;

the output unit outputs the acquired audio data through the speakerclosest to the ear.

According to another aspect of the embodiments of the present invention,an electronic device is provided, wherein the electronic deviceincludes:

a first speaker, a second speaker, a third speaker and a fourth speaker,the first speaker and the second speaker disposed at the left and rightsides of the electronic device placed in a horizontal state,respectively, and the third speaker and the fourth speaker disposed atthe left and right sides of the electronic device placed in a verticalstate, respectively; and the apparatus for audio output aforementioned.

According to another aspect of the embodiments of the present invention,the first speaker and the second speaker are disposed in the samehorizontal line at the left and right sides of the electronic deviceplaced in the horizontal state, respectively, and the third speaker andthe fourth speaker are disposed in the same horizontal line at the leftand right sides of the electronic device placed in the vertical state,respectively.

According to another aspect of the embodiments of the present invention,the first speaker, the second speaker, the third speaker and/or thefourth speaker include(s) a plurality of speakers.

The embodiments of the present invention have the following beneficialeffect: the stereo output effect can be obtained by setting the speakersat the four sides of the electronic device, respectively, and startingdifferent speakers when the electronic device is at different positions,once the stereo play function is activated, i.e., the electronic deviceis under the speaker output mode, regardless of whether the electronicdevice is at the horizontal position or the vertical position.

With reference to the subsequent descriptions and drawings, theembodiments of the present invention are disclosed to indicate theimplementations of the principles of the present invention. It shall beappreciated that the scope of embodiments of the present invention isnot limited thereto. The embodiments of the present invention includemany changes, modifications and equivalents within the scope of thespirit and the provisions of the accompanied claims.

Features described and/or illustrated with respect to one embodiment canbe used in one or more other embodiments in a same or similar way,and/or by being combined with or replacing the features in otherembodiments.

To be noted, the term “comprise/include” used herein specifies thepresence of feature, element, step or component, not excluding thepresence or addition of one or more other features, elements, steps orcomponents.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The included drawings are provided for further understanding of theembodiments of the present invention, and they constitute a part of theSpecification. The drawings illustrate the embodiments of the presentinvention, and explain the principles of the present invention togetherwith the text. It should be noted that the following drawings justillustrate some embodiments of the present invention, and a personskilled in the art can obtain other drawings from those drawings withoutpaying any creative effort.

In which:

FIG. 1 is a flowchart of an implementation of a method for audio outputin Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

FIGS. 2A, 2B and 2C are similar schematic diagrams where an electronicdevice in Embodiment 1 is placed in a horizontal state;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram where an electronic device in Embodiment 1is placed in a vertical state;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of another implementation of a method for audiooutput in Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a schematic structure diagram of an apparatus for audio outputin Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of an implementation of an apparatus foraudio output in Embodiment 2 of the present invention; and

FIG. 7 is a schematic block diagram of a system structure of anelectronic device in Embodiment 3 of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

The interchangeable terms “electronic device” and “electronic apparatus”include a portable radio communication device. The term “portable radiocommunication device”, which is hereinafter referred to as “mobile radioterminal”, “portable electronic apparatus”, or “portable communicationapparatus”, includes all devices such as mobile phone, pager,communication apparatus, electronic organizer, personal digitalassistant (PDA), smart phone, portable communication apparatus, etc.

In the present application, the embodiments of the present invention aremainly described with respect to a portable electronic apparatus in theform of a mobile phone (also referred to as “cellular phone”). However,it shall be appreciated that the present invention is not limited to thecase of the mobile phone and it may relate to any type of appropriateelectronic device, such as media player, gaming device, PDA, computer,digital camera, etc.

The preferred embodiments of the present invention are described asfollows with reference to the drawings.

Embodiment 1

Embodiment 1 of the present invention provides a method for audio outputapplicable to an electronic device, wherein the electronic deviceincludes a first speaker, a second speaker, a third speaker and a fourthspeaker, the first speaker and the second speaker disposed at the leftand right sides of the electronic device placed in a horizontal state,respectively, and the third speaker and the fourth speaker disposed atthe left and right sides of the electronic device placed in a verticalstate, respectively. FIG. 1 is a flowchart of an implementation of amethod for audio output in Embodiment 1 of the present invention. Asillustrated in FIG. 1, the method including:

Step 101: detecting a placement state of the electronic device when theelectronic device is under a speaker output mode;

Step 102: switching, according to the placement state of the electronicdevice, a stereo output and/or a bass output of audio data to beoutputted to a speaker (or speakers) corresponding to the placementstate of the electronic device, and outputting the audio data in theform of stereo output and/or bass output through the speaker(s)corresponding to the placement state of the electronic device.

Herein, the audio data to be outputted may be a music file pre-stored inthe electronic device, an audio file in the Internet, etc., but theembodiment is not limited thereto.

In the embodiment, the electronic device may be a smart phone, a tabletPC, etc., but the present invention is not limited thereto. Theelectronic device includes a first speaker, a second speaker, a thirdspeaker and a fourth speaker. The embodiment is just described takingthat the first speaker and the second speaker are disposed at the leftand right sides of the electronic device placed in the horizontal state,respectively, and the third speaker and the fourth speaker are disposedat the left and right sides of the electronic device placed in thevertical state, respectively as an example. But the embodiment is notlimited thereto.

In the embodiment, the user may start the speaker output mode byoperating the audio play button (or the virtual key). When theelectronic device is under the speaker output mode, the placement stateof the electronic device may be detected in step 101 of the embodiment,including detecting whether the electronic device is in the horizontalstate or the vertical state. The detection may be realized throughexisting means, and herein is not described.

The horizontal state and the vertical state are not absolute. Forexample, when it is detected that the vertical sides of the electronicdevice are deviated from the gravity center line for a predeterminedangle, the electronic device is still deemed as being in the horizontalstate. Herein the predetermined angle may be set upon demand, andusually less than 45 degrees. Similarly, when it is detected that thehorizontal sides of the electronic device are deviated from the gravitycenter line for a predetermined angle, the electronic device is stilldeemed as being in the vertical state. Herein the predetermined anglemay be set upon demand, and usually less than 45 degrees. Herein thehorizontal sides of the electronic device are two sides perpendicular tothe gravity center line when the electronic device is in the horizontalstate, and the vertical sides of the electronic device are two sidesparallel with the gravity center line when the electronic device is inthe horizontal state.

The embodiment is not limited to starting to detect the placement stateof the electronic device only when the electronic device is under thespeaker output mode. In other embodiments, the detection of theplacement state of the electronic device applied to the rotation of thedisplay screen may be used, e.g., once the user activates the automaticrotation function, the detection of the placement state of theelectronic device is started. On one hand, the rotation of the displayscreen is controlled according to the detection result. On the otherhand, once it is detected that the electronic device is under thespeaker output mode, the detection result of the placement state of theelectronic device is used for the speaker switching.

In one embodiment, in step 102, when the electronic device is placed inthe horizontal state, the first stereo output of the audio data isswitched to the first speaker, and the second stereo output of the audiodata is switched to the second speaker, so as to output the audio datain the form of stereo output through the first speaker and the secondspeaker. Since the first speaker and the second speaker are disposed atthe left and right sides of the electronic device placed in thehorizontal state, the distances from the two speakers to correspondingears of the user are similar to each other in that state, thus the usercan obtain the stereo effect.

In one implementation of the embodiment, the first stereo may be anoutput of a stereo left channel of the audio data, and correspondingly,the second stereo may be an output of a stereo right channel of theaudio data. Of course, the embodiment is not limited thereto. Forexample, the first stereo may be an output of the stereo right channelof the audio data, and correspondingly, the second stereo may be anoutput of the stereo left channel of the audio data.

The electronic device 10 illustrated in FIG. 2A is taken as an example.In the example of FIG. 2A, the electronic device is placed in thehorizontal state. When the user activates the audio play function, thespeaker output mode is started. In that case, according to the method ofthe embodiment, the speakers A1 and B1 (e.g., sometimes referred to,without limitation, as the first and second speakers, respectively) atthe left and right sides of the electronic device placed in thehorizontal state are activated, so that the user can obtain the stereoeffect of the audio data. Briefly referring to FIGS. 2B and 2C, it willbe seen that one or more of the first speaker A1, second speaker B1,third speaker A2, and/or fourth speaker B2 may be composed of more thanone speaker, the two illustrated examples being as two speakers shown inFIG. 2B or as four speakers shown in FIG. 2C, but the number may bethree, five or any other number of speakers, as may be desired.

In the implementation, when the first stereo output of the audio data isswitched to the first speaker, and the second stereo output of the audiodata is switched to the second speaker, the method may further include:switching the bass output of the audio data to the third speaker and/orthe fourth speaker (e.g., sometimes referred to as speakers A2 and B2,respectively), and outputting the audio data in the form of bass outputthrough the third speaker and/or the fourth speaker. Thus, the basseffect can be obtained in addition to the stereo effect of the audiodata, thereby further improving the user experience.

The electronic device illustrated in FIG. 2A is still taken as anexample. When the audio data is outputted in the form of stereo outputthrough the speakers A1 and B1, it also can be outputted in the form ofbass output through the speaker(s) A2 and/or B2. Thus, the user obtainsthe bass effect in addition to the stereo effect of the audio data.

In another implementation, in step 102, when the electronic device 10 isplaced in the vertical state, the first stereo output of the audio datais switched to the third speaker, e.g., A2, and the second stereo outputof the audio data is switched to the fourth speaker, e.g., B2, so as tooutput the audio data in the form of stereo output through the thirdspeaker and the fourth speaker. Since the third speaker and the fourthspeaker are disposed at the left and right sides of the electronicdevice placed in the vertical state, the distances from the two speakersto corresponding ears of the user are similar to each other in thatstate, thus the user can obtain the stereo effect.

The electronic device 10 illustrated in FIG. 3 is taken as an example.In the example of FIG. 3, the electronic device is placed in thevertical state. When the user activates the audio play function, thespeaker output mode is started. In that case, according to the method ofthe embodiment, the speakers A2 and B2 at the left and right sides ofthe electronic device placed in the vertical state are activated, sothat the user can obtain the stereo effect of the audio data.

In the implementation, when the first stereo output of the audio data isswitched to the third speaker, e.g., A2, and the second stereo output ofthe audio data is switched to the fourth speaker, e.g., B2, the methodmay further include: switching the bass output of the audio data to thefirst speaker, e.g., A1, and/or the second speaker, e.g., B1, andoutputting the audio data in the form of bass output through the firstspeaker and/or the second speaker. Thus, the bass effect can be obtainedin addition to the stereo effect of the audio data, thereby furtherimproving the user experience.

The electronic device 10 illustrated in FIG. 3 is still taken as anexample. When the audio data is outputted in the form of stereo outputthrough the speakers A2 and B2, it also can be outputted in the form ofbass output through the speaker(s) A1 and/or B1. Thus, the user obtainsthe bass effect in addition to the stereo effect of the audio data.

As can be seen from the above method of the embodiment, the stereooutput effect can be obtained by setting the speakers at the four sidesof the electronic device, respectively, and starting different speakerswhen the electronic device is at different positions (the term positionssometimes may be referred to equivalently as states, orientations orpositional relationships of the respective speakers, for example), oncethe stereo play function is activated, i.e., the electronic device isunder the speaker output mode, regardless of whether the electronicdevice is at the horizontal position or the vertical position.

In another implementation, in order to improve and enrich the audioeffect of the stereo/bass output, the method may further include:

adjusting audio parameters according to the placement state of theelectronic device;

determining the stereo output and/or the bass output of the audio dataaccording to the adjusted audio parameters.

Herein the audio parameters are those used for adjusting the audioeffect, including, but not limited to, the frequency parameter.Adjusting the audio parameters according to different placement statesof the electronic device include, for example, adjusting the audioparameters to be suitable for the stereo output and/or the bass outputin the vertical state when it is detected that the electronic device isplaced in the vertical state, and adjusting the audio parameters to besuitable for the stereo output and/or the bass output in the horizontalstate when it is detected that the electronic device is placed in thehorizontal state; or adjusting different audio parameters according tothe placement states of the electronic device, so as to output differentstereo or bass effects when the electronic device is in differentplacement states. Herein the audio parameters can be arbitrarilyadjusted according to the actual requirement, and the embodiment is notlimited thereto.

In the implementation, any manner in the prior art may be adopted toadjust the stereo output and/or bass output of the audio data accordingto different audio parameters, and herein is omitted.

In another implementation, if it is detected that the electronic deviceis under a handset output mode, the method may further include:

switching a handset output of acquired audio data to the first speaker,the second speaker, the third speaker or the fourth speaker, andoutputting the acquired audio data through the first speaker, the secondspeaker, the third speaker or the fourth speaker.

Herein the audio data may be the sound of the opposite side in theconversation acquired by listening to the phone call, an audio filepre-stored by the electronic device, an audio file acquired through aspeech transmission, etc., and the embodiment is not limited thereto.

In the implementation, a speaker corresponding to the handset output maybe preset, for example at least one of the above four speakers. When theelectronic device is under the handset output mode, the audio data to beoutputted is outputted under the handset output mode through the presetspeaker. The preset speaker may be any one or several of the above fourspeakers, and the embodiment is not limited thereto.

In another implementation, when it is detected that the electronicdevice is in a handset output mode, since the phone call is usuallylistened to through the user's ear, the speaker closest to the user'sear may be started by detecting the distances from various speakers tothe user's ear, thereby improving the flexibility of listening to thephone call. Thus in the implementation, the method further including:

when the electronic device is under the handset output mode, detectingdistances from the first speaker, the second speaker, the third speakerand the fourth speaker to the ear, respectively, and determining aspeaker closest to the ear; and switching a handset output of acquiredaudio data to the speaker closest to the ear, and outputting theacquired audio data through the speaker closest to the ear. For example,the detection may be performed through a distance sensor.

For example, distance sensors d1, d2, d3, d4, respectively, may beincluded in the speakers (e.g., A1, B1, A2, B2), for example, or may beone or more separate distance sensors separate from the speakers, toacquire detection information, as is illustrated, for example, in FIG.2A. The detection information may be used for indicating the distancebetween each speaker and the ear. A comparison of the detectioninformation may be made to determine which speaker is closest to a givenear of the user. After it is determined according to the comparisonbetween/among the detection information that one of the speakers isclosest to the ear, the electronic equipment switches the handset outputof the acquired audio data to that speaker, and outputs the acquiredaudio data through that speaker. If a different speaker is determined tobe the closest to the ear of the user, then the electronic equipmentswitches to send audio data the different speaker, e.g., in a case thatthe user moves the electronic device. The distance sensor(s) may berealized through existing means, and herein is not described. Thecomparisons made and switching of signals mentioned may be carried outunder appropriate computer program code operating via the memory 140 andCPU 100 described further below.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of another implementation of a method for audiooutput in the embodiment of the present invention. The implementation isjust schematic, and the embodiment of the present invention is notlimited thereto. For example, in the implementation of FIG. 4, somesteps may be omitted, and some steps may be replaced by others asmentioned before, which are omitted herein.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, the method including:

Step 401: detecting an output mode (also referred to as a play mode) ofthe electronic device, and performing step 402 when the electronicdevice is under the speaker output (or play) mode, or performing step411 when the electronic device is under the handset output (or play)mode;

Step 402: detecting a placement state of the electronic device, andperforming step 403 when the electronic device is placed in a horizontalstate, or performing step 407 when the electronic device is placed in avertical state;

Step 403: adjusting the audio parameters into a first group of presetvalues;

Step 404: determining a first stereo, a second stereo and a bass outputof the audio data according to the first group of audio parameters;

Step 405: switching the adjusted first stereo output of the audio datato the first speaker A1, and switching the adjusted second stereo outputof the audio data to the second speaker B1;

Step 406: switching the adjusted bass output of the audio data to thethird speaker A2 and/or the fourth speaker B2;

In the above implementation, steps 403-404 and 406 can be omitted. Inaddition, the orders of steps 405 and 406 can be exchanged, e.g., step406 may be performed before step 405.

Step 407: adjusting the audio parameters into a second group of presetvalues;

Step 408: determining a first stereo, a second stereo and a bass outputof the audio data according to the second group of audio parameters;

Step 409: switching the adjusted first stereo output of the audio datato the third speaker A2, and switching the adjusted second stereo outputof the audio data to the fourth speaker B2; Step 410: switching theadjusted bass output of the audio data to the first speaker A1 and/orthe second speaker B1;

In the above implementation, steps 407-408 and 410 can be omitted. Inaddition, the orders of steps 409 and 410 can be exchanged, e.g., step410 may be performed before step 409.

Step 411: detecting the distances from the first speaker A1, the secondspeaker B1, the third speaker A2 and the fourth speaker B2 to the earrespectively, and determining a speaker closest to the ear, for example,as is described above with respect to distance sensors d1-d4 andassociated operation.

Step 412: switching a handset output of acquired audio data to thespeaker closest to the ear.

In the above implementation, step 411 may be omitted. In that case, thehandset output of the acquired audio data is switched to the presetspeaker directly in step 412.

In the embodiment, the first and second groups of preset values of theaudio parameters may be arbitrarily set according to the actualrequirement, and the embodiment is not limited thereto. It shall benoted that FIG. 4 only illustrates an example where the electronicdevice is placed in the vertical or horizontal state, and the presentinvention is not limited thereto. In addition, the speaker switchingmode in FIG. 4 is also not limited thereto. Moreover, steps 403, 404,406˜408 and 410˜412 for example may be omitted, and the specificimplementation can be determined according to the actual condition oractual requirements, e.g., as desired or required for the currentconditions or implementation.

As can be seen from the above method of the embodiment, the stereooutput effect can be obtained by setting the speakers at the four sidesof the electronic device, respectively, and starting different speakerswhen the electronic device is at different positions (e.g., alsoreferred to as orientations or states), once the stereo play function isactivated, i.e., the electronic device is under the speaker output mode,regardless of whether the electronic device is at the horizontalposition or the vertical position. In addition, an optimum stereo outputeffect can be obtained by adjusting the audio parameters.

Embodiment 2

Embodiment 2 of the present invention further provides an audio outputapparatus included in an electronic device. The electronic devicefurther includes a first speaker, a second speaker, a third speaker anda fourth speaker, the first speaker and the second speaker disposed atthe left and right sides of the electronic device placed in a horizontalstate, respectively, and the third speaker and the fourth speakerdisposed at the left and right sides of the electronic device placed ina vertical state, respectively. As the principle of the apparatus forsolving problems is similar to that of the method in Embodiment 1, theimplementation of the method may be referred to for the implementationof the apparatus, e.g., as described above with respect to the device 10of FIGS. 1 and 2, and the repeated parts shall not be described anyfurther.

FIG. 5 is a schematic structure diagram of an apparatus for audio outputin Embodiment 2 of the present invention. As illustrated in FIG. 5, theapparatus including: a detection unit 501, a switching unit 502 and anoutput unit 503, wherein,

the detection unit 501 is configured to detect a placement state of theelectronic device when the electronic device is under a speaker outputmode (for example, the detection unit may include one or moreconventional accelerometers or other devices and conventional circuitry,computer code in memory 140 for operating the CPU 100, and so on, thatdetect orientation of the electronic device, e.g., is it in horizontalor vertical state shown in FIG. 2A or 3 or in some other placementstate);

the switching unit 502 is configured to switch a stereo output and/or abass output of audio data to be outputted to a speaker (or speakers)corresponding to the placement state of the electronic device, accordingto the placement state of the electronic device detected by thedetection unit 501; and

the output unit 503 is configured to output the audio data in the formof stereo output and/or bass output through the speaker(s) correspondingto the placement state of the electronic device.

In one implementation of the embodiment, the switching unit 502 switchesa first stereo output of the audio data to the first speaker, andswitches a second stereo output of the audio data to the second speaker,when the electronic device is placed in the horizontal state. The outputunit 503 outputs the audio data in the form of stereo output through thefirst and second speakers.

In one implementation of the embodiment, the switching unit 502 switchesa bass output of the audio data to the third speaker and/or the fourthspeaker, when the electronic device is placed in the horizontal state.The output unit 503 outputs the audio data in the form of bass outputthrough the third speaker and/or the fourth speaker.

In one implementation of the embodiment, the switching unit 502 switchesthe first stereo output of the audio data to the third speaker, andswitches the second stereo output of the audio data to the fourthspeaker, when the electronic device is placed in the vertical state. Theoutput unit 503 outputs the audio data in the form of stereo outputthrough the third and fourth speakers.

In one implementation of the embodiment, the switching unit 502 switchesthe bass output of the audio data to the first speaker and/or the secondspeaker, when the electronic device is placed in the vertical state. Theoutput unit 503 outputs the audio data in the form of bass outputthrough the first speaker and/or the second speaker.

In the embodiment, in order to improve and enrich the audio effect ofthe stereo/bass output, the apparatus may further include:

a control unit 504 (optional) configured to adjust audio parametersaccording to the placement state of the electronic device detected bythe detection unit 501, and determine the stereo output and/or the bassoutput of the audio data according to the adjusted audio parameters.

Herein the audio parameters are those used for adjusting the audioeffect, including, but not limited to, the frequency parameter.Adjusting the audio parameters according to different placement statesof the electronic device may include, for example, adjusting the audioparameters to be suitable for the stereo output and/or the bass outputin the vertical state when it is detected that the electronic device isplaced in the vertical state, and adjusting the audio parameters to besuitable for the stereo output and/or the bass output in the horizontalstate when it is detected that the electronic device is placed in thehorizontal state; or adjusting different audio parameters according tothe placement states of the electronic device, so as to output differentstereo or bass effects when the electronic device is in differentplacement states. Herein the audio parameters can be arbitrarilyadjusted according to the actual requirement, and the embodiment is notlimited thereto.

In the embodiment, any manner in the prior art may be adopted to adjustthe stereo output and/or bass output of the audio data according todifferent audio parameters, and herein is omitted.

In the embodiment, the first speaker and the second speaker are disposedat the left and right sides of the electronic device placed in thehorizontal state, respectively, and the third speaker and the fourthspeaker are disposed at the left and right sides of the electronicdevice placed in the vertical state, respectively. But the embodiment isnot limited thereto. Optionally, the first speaker and the secondspeaker are disposed in the same horizontal line at the left and rightsides of the electronic device placed in the horizontal state,respectively, and the third speaker and the fourth speaker are disposedin the same horizontal line at the left and right sides of theelectronic device placed in the vertical state, respectively.

In the embodiment, in order to obtain a better stereo effect, eachspeaker may include a plurality of speakers, that is, the first speaker,the second speaker, the third speaker and the fourth speaker may be aspeaker group which may include a plurality of speakers respectively.

In one implementation of the embodiment, the switching unit 502 switchesa handset output of acquired audio data to the first speaker, the secondspeaker, the third speaker or the fourth speaker, when the electronicdevice is under handset output mode. The output unit 503 outputs theacquired audio data through the first speaker, the second speaker, thethird speaker or the fourth speaker.

In another implementation of the embodiment, when the electronic deviceis under the handset output mode, the detection unit 501 detects thedistances from the first speaker, the second speaker, the third speakerand the fourth speaker to the ear respectively, and determines a speakerclosest to the ear. The switching unit 502 switches a handset output ofacquired audio data to the speaker closest to the ear. The output unit503 outputs the acquired audio data through the speaker closest to theear. Thus, the detection unit 501 may include the sensors d1, d2, d3,d4, which are described above, to determine which speaker is closest tothe ear of a user or may include one or more other sensors to detect thedistance information and, thus, closest ear-speaker relation, e.g.,using operation of the output unit 503 and/or of the appropriatesoftware code in memory 140 carrying out operation of the CPU 100, asdescribed above.

In the embodiment, the apparatus for audio output may further includeother units, such as a power amplifier, a switch and an encoder, whichcan be set arbitrarily according to the actual requirement, conditionsin the local environment, functions to be carried out as desired, and soon, and the embodiment is not limited thereto. The power amplifier maybe used to amplify signals at the final amplification stage in anapparatus for audio output, e.g., to give the required audio poweroutput, as may be needed and as is known, for example. A switch orswitch mechanism may be used to switch the stereo output of audio datato be outputted to one or more respective speakers according to theplacement or orientation of the electronic device, for example. Anencoder may be used to convert audio data to a specific format, forexample.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of an internal structure of the apparatusfor audio output in FIG. 5 of the embodiment of the present invention.The electronic device includes a first speaker A1 and a second speakerB1 disposed at the left and right sides of the electronic device placedin a horizontal state, respectively, and a third speaker A2 and a fourthspeaker B2 disposed at the left and right sides of the electronic deviceplaced in a vertical state, respectively, which is just an example, andthe embodiment is not limited thereto.

In the embodiment, the detection unit 501 detects a placement state ofthe electronic device when the electronic device is under a speakeroutput mode. In the embodiment, when the detection unit 501 detects thatthe electronic device is placed in the horizontal state, the switchingunit 502 turns on switches 1 and 2, while the output unit 503 outputs afirst stereo of the audio data through the first speaker A1, and outputsa second stereo of the audio data through the second speaker B1.Optionally, the output unit 503 outputs the bass of the audio datathrough the third speaker A2 and/or the fourth speaker B2.

In the embodiment, when the detection unit 501 detects that theelectronic device is placed in the vertical state, the switching unit502 turns on switches 1 and 3, while the output unit 503 outputs thefirst stereo of the audio data through the third speaker A2, and outputsthe second stereo of the audio data through the fourth speaker B2.Optionally, the output unit 503 outputs the bass of the audio datathrough the first speaker A1 and/or the second speaker B1.

Thus, the output unit 503 outputs the audio data in the form of stereooutput and/or bass output through the speakers selected by the switchingunit 502.

The control unit 504 adjusts audio parameters according to the placementstate of the electronic device detected by the detection unit 501. Theoutput unit 503 determines the stereo output and/or the bass output ofthe audio data according to the adjusted audio parameters.

In one implementation, the switching unit 502 switches the handsetoutput of the acquired audio data to the first speaker A1, the secondspeaker B1, the third speaker A2 or the fourth speaker B2 by turning onswitches 1-2 or 1-3, when the electronic device is under the handsetoutput mode. The output unit 503 outputs the acquired audio data throughthe first speaker A1, the second speaker B1, the third speaker A2 or thefourth speaker B2.

In another implementation, when the electronic device is under thehandset output mode, the detection unit 501 detects the distances fromthe first speaker, the second speaker, the third speaker and the fourthspeaker to the ear respectively, and determines a speaker closest to theear. The switching unit 502 switches the handset output of the acquiredaudio data to the speaker closest to the ear by turning on any ofswitches 1-2 or 1-3. The output unit 503 outputs the acquired audio datathrough the speaker closest to the ear.

As can be seen from the above apparatus of the embodiment, the stereooutput effect can be obtained by setting the speakers at the four sidesof the electronic device, respectively, and starting different speakerswhen the electronic device is at different positions, once the stereoplay function is activated, i.e., the electronic device is under thespeaker output mode, regardless of whether the electronic device is atthe horizontal position or the vertical position. In addition, anoptimum stereo output effect can be obtained by adjusting the audioparameters.

Embodiment 3

Embodiment 3 of the present invention provides an electronic device,including a first speaker, a second speaker, a third speaker and afourth speaker. The electronic device further includes the apparatus foraudio output in Embodiment 2, which is omitted herein since it has beendescribed in details in Embodiment 2.

In the embodiment, optionally, as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, thefirst speaker and the second speaker are disposed at the left and rightsides of the electronic device, such as, for example, a device similarto the device 10 illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, placed in a horizontalstate, respectively, and the third speaker and the fourth speaker aredisposed at the left and right sides of the electronic device placed ina vertical state, respectively. But the embodiment is not limitedthereto.

In the embodiment, optionally, as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, thefirst speaker and the second speaker are disposed in the same horizontalline at the left and right sides of the electronic device placed in thehorizontal state, respectively, and the third speaker and the fourthspeaker are disposed in the same horizontal line at the left and rightsides of the electronic device placed in the vertical state,respectively. But the embodiment is not limited thereto.

In which, the first speaker, the second speaker, the third speakerand/or the fourth speaker may include a plurality of speakers. But theembodiment is not limited thereto.

In the embodiment, the electronic device may be a mobile terminal. Butthe embodiment is not limited thereto.

FIG. 7 is a schematic block diagram of a system structure of anelectronic device 700 in Embodiment 3 of the present invention. Asillustrated in FIG. 7, in addition to the original compositions andfunctions, the electronic device 700 further includes an apparatus 701for audio output which may be connected to a Central Processing Unit(CPU) 100, and which may be the apparatus 500 for audio output inEmbodiment 2. To be noted, the diagram is just schematic, and thestructure may be supplemented or replaced with other type of structureto realize the telecom or other function. Next, only some conventionalcompositions and functions of the electronic device 700 are introduced.

As illustrated in FIG. 7, in addition to the apparatus 701 for audiooutput, the electronic device 700 may further include a CPU 100, acommunication module 110, an input unit 120, a memory 140, a camera 150,a display 160 and a power supply 170.

The CPU 100 (sometimes referred to as a controller or an operationcontrol, including a microprocessor or other processor unit and/or logicunit) receives an input and controls various parts and operations of theelectronic device 700.

The input unit 120 provides an input to the CPU 100. The input unit 120for example may be a key or touch input means.

The camera 150 captures image data, and provides the captured image datato the CPU 100 for a conventional usage, such as storage, transmission,etc.

The power supply 170 supplies power to the electronic device 700.

The display 160 displays a display object such as an image, a text, etc.The display for example may be, but not limited to, an LCD display.

The memory 140 is coupled to the CPU 100. The memory 140 may be a solidstate memory, such as Read Only Memory (ROM), Random Access Memory(RAM), SIM card, etc., and it also may be a memory which storesinformation even if the power is off, and which is selectively erasableand provided with more data. The example of the memory sometimes isreferred to as EPROM. The memory 140 also may be of other type. Thememory 140 includes a buffer memory 141 (sometimes referred to asbuffer). The memory 140 may include an application/function storagesection 142 configured to store application programs and functionprograms, or perform the operation flow of the electronic device 700through the CPU 100. The memory 140 may further include a data storagesection 143 configured to store data, such as contact person, digitaldata, pictures, sounds and/or any other data used by the electronicdevice. A drive program storage section 144 of the memory 140 mayinclude various drive programs of the electronic device for thecommunication function and/or for performing other functions of theelectronic device (e.g., messaging application, address bookapplication, etc.).

The communication module 110 is a transmitter/receiver 110 whichtransmits and receives signals via an antenna 111. The communicationmodule (transmitter/receiver) 110 is coupled to the CPU 100, so as toprovide an input signal and receive an output signal, which may be thesame as the situation of the conventional mobile communication terminal.

Based on different communication technologies, the same electronicdevice may be provided with a plurality of communication modules 110,such as cellular network module, Bluetooth module and/or wireless localarea network (WLAN) module. The communication module(transmitter/receiver) 110 is further coupled to a speaker 131 and amicrophone 132 via the apparatus 701 for audio output, so as to providean audio output via the speaker 131, and receive an audio input from themicrophone 132, thereby realizing the common telecom function. Thespeaker 131 herein is corresponding to the four speakers or four groupsof speakers.

The apparatus 701 for audio output may comprise any suitable buffer,decoder, amplifier, etc. In addition, the apparatus 701 for audio outputis coupled to the CPU 100, so as to record a sound locally through themicrophone 132, and play the locally stored sound through the speaker131.

The embodiment of the present invention further provides a computerreadable program, which when being executed in an electronic device,enables a computer to perform the method for audio output as describedin Embodiment 1 in the electronic device.

The embodiment of the present invention further provides a storagemedium storing a computer readable program, wherein the computerreadable program enables a computer to perform the method for audiooutput as described in Embodiment 1 in an electronic device.

The preferred embodiments of the present invention are described asabove with reference to the drawings. Many features and advantages ofthose embodiments are apparent from the detailed Specification, thus theaccompanied claims intend to cover all such features and advantages ofthose embodiments which fall within the true spirit and scope thereof.In addition, since numerous modifications and changes are easilyconceivable to a person skilled in the art, the embodiments of thepresent invention are not limited to the exact structures and operationsas illustrated and described, but cover all suitable modifications andequivalents falling within the scope thereof.

It shall be understood that each of the parts of the present inventionmay be implemented by hardware, software, firmware, or combinationsthereof. In the above embodiments, multiple steps or methods may beimplemented by software or firmware stored in the memory and executed byan appropriate instruction executing system. For example, if theimplementation uses hardware, it may be realized by any one of thefollowing technologies known in the art or combinations thereof as inanother embodiment: a discrete logic circuit having a logic gate circuitfor realizing logic functions of data signals, application-specificintegrated circuit having an appropriate combined logic gate circuit, aprogrammable gate array (PGA), and a field programmable gate array(FPGA), etc.

Any process, method or block in the flowchart or described in othermanners herein may be understood as being indicative of comprising oneor more modules, segments or parts for realizing the codes of executableinstructions of the steps in specific logic functions or processes, andthat the scope of the preferred embodiments of the present inventioncomprise other implementations, wherein the functions may be executed inmanners different from those shown or discussed (e.g., according to therelated functions in a substantially simultaneous manner or in a reverseorder), which shall be understood by a person skilled in the art.

The logic and/or steps shown in the flowcharts or described in othermanners here may be, for example, understood as a sequencing list ofexecutable instructions for realizing logic functions, which may beimplemented in any computer readable medium, for use by an instructionexecuting system, apparatus or device (such as a system based on acomputer, a system including a processor, or other systems capable ofextracting instructions from an instruction executing system, apparatusor device and executing the instructions), or for use in combinationwith the instruction executing system, apparatus or device. In thecontext, “a computer readable medium” may be any apparatus that caninclude, store, communicate, propagate or transmit programs for use byan instruction execution system, apparatus or device, or used inconjunction therewith. The computer readable medium for example may be,but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic,infrared or semiconductor system, apparatus, device or propagationmedium. More particular examples of the computer readable medium include(non-exhaustive list): an electrical connection portion (electronicapparatus) having one or more wirings, a portable computer hardware box(magnetic apparatus), a random access memory (RAM) (electronicapparatus), a read only memory (ROM) (electronic apparatus), an ErasableProgrammable Read Only Memory (EPROM or flash memory) (electronicapparatus), an optical fiber (optical apparatus), and a portable compactdisc-read only memory (CDROM) (optical apparatus). Furthermore, acomputer readable medium may be paper or other appropriate media onwhich the programs may be printed, as the programs may be obtainedelectronically by optically scanning the paper or other appropriatemedia and compiling, interpreting, or processing in other appropriatemanners when necessary, and then the programs are stored in the computermemory.

The above literal descriptions and drawings show various features of thepresent invention. It shall be understood that a person of ordinaryskill in the art may prepare suitable computer codes to carry out eachof the steps and processes described above and illustrated in thedrawings. It shall also be understood that the above-describedterminals, computers, servers, and networks, etc. may be any type, andthe computer codes may be prepared according to the disclosure containedherein to carry out the present invention by using the apparatuses.

Specific embodiments of the present invention have been disclosedherein. A person skilled in the art will readily recognize that thepresent invention is applicable in other environments. In practice,there exist many embodiments and implementations. The appended claimsare by no means intended to limit the scope of the present invention tothe above particular embodiments. Furthermore, any reference to “anapparatus configured to . . . ” is an explanation of apparatus plusfunction for describing elements and claims, and it is not desired thatany element using no reference to “an apparatus configured to . . . ” isunderstood as an element of apparatus plus function, even though thewording of “apparatus” is included in that claim.

Although a particular preferred embodiment or embodiments have beenshown and the present invention has been described, it is obvious thatequivalent modifications and variants are conceivable to a personskilled in the art in reading and understanding the description anddrawings. Especially for various functions executed by the aboveelements (parts, components, apparatus, and compositions, etc.), exceptotherwise specified, it is desirable that the terms (including thereference to “apparatus”) describing these elements correspond to anyelement executing particular functions of these elements (i.e.functional equivalents), even though the element is different from thatexecuting the function of an exemplary embodiment or embodimentsillustrated in the present invention with respect to structure.Furthermore, although the a particular feature of the present inventionis described with respect to only one or more of the illustratedembodiments, such a feature may be combined with one or more otherfeatures of other embodiments as desired and in consideration ofadvantageous aspects of any given or particular application.

1. A method for audio output applicable to an electronic device, whereinthe electronic device comprises a first speaker, a second speaker, athird speaker and a fourth speaker, the first speaker and the secondspeaker disposed at the left and right sides of the electronic deviceplaced in a horizontal state, respectively, and the third speaker andthe fourth speaker disposed at the left and right sides of theelectronic device placed in a vertical state, respectively, the methodcomprising: detecting a placement state of the electronic device whenthe electronic device is under a speaker output mode; and switching,according to the placement state of the electronic device, a stereooutput and/or a bass output of audio data to be outputted to a speakeror speakers corresponding to the placement state of the electronicdevice, and outputting the audio data in the form of stereo outputand/or bass output through the speaker or speakers corresponding to theplacement state of the electronic device.
 2. The method according toclaim 1, wherein, when the electronic device is placed in the horizontalstate, a first stereo output of the audio data is switched to the firstspeaker, and a second stereo output of the audio data is switched to thesecond speaker, so as to output the audio data in the form of stereooutput through the first speaker and the second speaker.
 3. The methodaccording to claim 1, wherein, when the electronic device is placed inthe horizontal state, a bass output of the audio data is switched to thethird speaker and/or the fourth speaker, so as to output the audio datain the form of bass output through the third speaker and/or the fourthspeaker.
 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein, when theelectronic device is placed in the vertical state, a first stereo outputof the audio data is switched to the third speaker, and a second stereooutput of the audio data is switched to the fourth speaker, so as tooutput the audio data in the form of stereo output through the thirdspeaker and the fourth speaker.
 5. The method according to claim 1,wherein, when the electronic device is placed in the vertical state, abass output of the audio data is switched to the first speaker and/orthe second speaker, so as to output the audio data in the form of bassoutput through the first speaker and/or the second speaker.
 6. Themethod according to claim 1, further comprising: adjusting audioparameters according to the placement state of the electronic device;and determining the stereo output and/or the bass output of the audiodata according to the adjusted audio parameters.
 7. The method accordingto claim 1, further comprising: switching a handset output of acquiredaudio data to the first speaker, the second speaker, the third speakeror the fourth speaker when the electronic device is under a handsetoutput mode, and outputting the acquired audio data through the firstspeaker, the second speaker, the third speaker or the fourth speaker. 8.The method according to claim 1, further comprising: detecting distancesfrom the first speaker, the second speaker, the third speaker and thefourth speaker to an ear when the electronic device is under a handsetoutput mode, and determining a speaker closest to the ear respectively;and switching a handset output of acquired audio data to the speakerclosest to the ear, and outputting the acquired audio data through thespeaker closest to the ear.
 9. An apparatus for audio output comprisedin an electronic device, wherein the electronic device further comprisesa first speaker, a second speaker, a third speaker and a fourth speaker,the first speaker and the second speaker disposed at the left and rightsides of the electronic device placed in a horizontal state,respectively, and the third speaker and the fourth speaker disposed atthe left and right sides of the electronic device placed in a verticalstate, respectively, the apparatus comprising: a detection unitconfigured to detect a placement state of the electronic device when theelectronic device is under a speaker output mode; a switching unitconfigured to switch a stereo output and/or a bass output of audio datato be outputted to a speaker or speakers corresponding to the placementstate of the electronic device, according to the placement state of theelectronic device detected by the detection unit; and an output unitconfigured to output the audio data in the form of stereo output and/orbass output through the speaker or speakers corresponding to theplacement state of the electronic device.
 10. The apparatus according toclaim 9, wherein, when the electronic device is placed in the horizontalstate, the switching unit switches a first stereo output of the audiodata to the first speaker, and switches a second stereo output of theaudio data to the second speaker; and the output unit outputs the audiodata in the form of stereo output through the first speaker and thesecond speaker.
 11. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein, whenthe electronic device is placed in the horizontal state, the switchingunit switches a bass output of the audio data to the third speakerand/or the fourth speaker; and the output unit outputs the audio data inthe form of bass output through the third speaker and/or the fourthspeaker.
 12. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein, when theelectronic device is placed in the vertical state, the switching unitswitches a first stereo output of the audio data to the third speaker,and switches a second stereo output of the audio data to the fourthspeaker; and the output unit outputs the audio data in the form ofstereo output through the third speaker and the fourth speaker.
 13. Theapparatus according to claim 9, wherein, when the electronic device isplaced in the vertical state, the switching unit switches a bass outputof the audio data to the first speaker and/or the second speaker; andthe output unit outputs the audio data in the form of bass outputthrough the first speaker and/or the second speaker.
 14. The apparatusaccording to claim 9, further comprising: a control unit configured toadjust audio parameters according to the placement state of theelectronic device detected by the detection unit, and determine thestereo output and/or the bass output of the audio data according to theadjusted audio parameters.
 15. The apparatus according to claim 9,wherein, when the electronic device is under a handset output mode, theswitching unit switches a handset output of acquired audio data to thefirst speaker, the second speaker, the third speaker or the fourthspeaker; and the output unit outputs the acquired audio data through thefirst speaker, the second speaker, the third speaker or the fourthspeaker.
 16. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein, when theelectronic device is under a handset output mode, the detection unitdetects distances from the first speaker, the second speaker, the thirdspeaker and the fourth speaker to an ear, and determine a speakerclosest to the ear respectively; the switching unit switches a handsetoutput of acquired audio data to the speaker closest to the ear; and theoutput unit outputs the acquired audio data through the speaker closestto the ear.
 17. An electronic device, comprising: a first speaker, asecond speaker, a third speaker and a fourth speaker, the first speakerand the second speaker disposed at the left and right sides of theelectronic device placed in a horizontal state, respectively, and thethird speaker and the fourth speaker disposed at the left and rightsides of the electronic device placed in a vertical state, respectively;and an apparatus for audio output comprised in an electronic device,wherein the electronic device further comprises a first speaker, asecond speaker, a third speaker and a fourth speaker, the first speakerand the second speaker disposed at the left and right sides of theelectronic device placed in a horizontal state, respectively, and thethird speaker and the fourth speaker disposed at the left and rightsides of the electronic device placed in a vertical state, respectively,the apparatus comprising: a detection unit configured to detect aplacement state of the electronic device when the electronic device isunder a speaker output mode; a switching unit configured to switch astereo output and/or a bass output of audio data to be outputted to aspeaker or speakers corresponding to the placement state of theelectronic device, according to the placement state of the electronicdevice detected by the detection unit; and an output unit configured tooutput the audio data in the form of stereo output and/or bass outputthrough the speaker or speakers corresponding to the placement state ofthe electronic device.
 18. The electronic device according to claim 17,wherein the first speaker and the second speaker are disposed in thesame horizontal line at the left and right sides of the electronicdevice placed in the horizontal state, respectively, and the thirdspeaker and the fourth speaker are disposed in the same horizontal lineat the left and right sides of the electronic device placed in thevertical state, respectively.
 19. The electronic device according toclaim 9, wherein one or more of the first speaker, the second speaker,the third speaker and/or the fourth speaker comprise(s) a plurality ofspeakers.
 20. (canceled)
 21. (canceled)
 22. The electronic deviceaccording to claim 17, wherein one or more of the first speaker, thesecond speaker, the third speaker and/or the fourth speaker comprise(s)a plurality of speakers.